What Are Your
Chances of Getting Published?
by Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com
Most beginning children's
writers are curious about their chances of ever seeing their
work in print. Editors have told me that a mid- to large-sized
publishing house gets upwards of 5000 unsolicited submissions a
year. About 95% are rejected right off the bat (most get form
letters, a few promising authors get personalized notes stating
why the manuscript was rejected). Of the 5% left, some are
queries for which the editors request entire manuscripts. Others
are manuscripts submitted in their entirety, and these go on to
the next stage of the acquisitions process (get passed around
the editorial department, presented at editorial meetings,
perhaps looked at by sales staff to get a sense of the market
for the book). The end result is that 1-2% of unsolicited
submissions are actually purchased for publication.
But, you ask, if so few
manuscripts are bought from the slush pile, why are so many new
books are published each year? The unsolicited "slush"
comes from authors the editors have never worked with before:
new writers and those who don't have agents. Experienced writers
and those who have already published with that house make up the
rest of the list.
Before you trash your
computer and take up knitting, let's put this all in
perspective. Most manuscripts are rejected because they're just
plain bad. The stories are trite, the characters wooden, the
endings predictable. The plots may smack of didacticism or
patronize the young reader. Authors who don't understand the
basic rules of grammar or who can't send a properly formatted
manuscript won't get a close look. Those who submit their work
to every publisher listed in Children's Writer's &
Illustrator's Market instead of taking the time to target
publishers appropriate for their work add substantially to the
glut of publishers' mail (and the eventual banning of
unsolicited submissions by some houses).
If you take the time to
learn how to write a strong story with multifaceted characters,
your manuscript will rise to the top. If you study the age group
for which you want to write, and keep the length and content
appropriate for your audience, your work will stand out. If you
watch the current market and find a niche you can fill, an
editor is more likely to give you careful consideration.
One more point: General
fiction is the most competitive genre in any age group of
children's books. It's also the most subjective, meaning your
manuscript has to appeal to exactly the right editor. If you
have any interest in nonfiction and can approach a topic in a
unique, entertaining way, you'll be a bigger fish in a much
smaller pond. Or, try narrowing your niche so your work stands
out from the ocean of fiction: write historical fiction for
beginning readers, funny mysteries for middle grades, science
fiction for young adults. Stretching your writing beyond general
fiction will give you a "hook" and also help you zero
in on publishers who want exactly what you've got.
_________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Backes is the author of
"Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read"
from Prima/Random House. She's also the publisher of Children's
Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. For more
information about writing children's books, including free
articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit
Children's Book Insider's home on the web at http://write4kids.com
Copyright 2002,
Children's Book Insider, LLC |
